The training grew harsher with every strike.
Abigel was no longer gentle. His words cut sharper than the wooden blades they sparred with.
"You're useless," he said, his voice cold as steel. He moved quickly, closing the distance between them in a blink.
Aria's breath hitched. The insult echoed in her mind louder than it should have. Can he talk like that with that pretty face? she thought bitterly. Her arms moved out of reflex, barely blocking his strike.
But he didn't stop.
"You think you can just hide behind the Duchess? That your golden light makes you special?" His black aura surged with the rhythm of his words. "You're a coward."
That did it.
Her golden aura pulsed once—then exploded outward in a shockwave.
"How dare you look down on me, you stupid human!" Aria's voice wasn't fully hers anymore. Something ancient curled behind it, like fire made flesh.
The training ground trembled. Snow evaporated in wide circles around her feet. Her hair lifted from her shoulders as golden light wove around her in jagged, dangerous threads. The soldiers nearby instinctively backed away, eyes wide.
Abigel didn't retreat. His aura, dark and steady, rose in defence—but even he looked wary now.
A system screen blinked in front of Aria's eyes, translucent and cold:
{System: Golden Aura is overpowering. GF Detected.}
But her vision blurred, and she couldn't react.
She couldn't stop it.
The golden aura no longer danced—it roared, trying to consume her body, her mind, everything.
Abigel prepared for a final strike; his stance set—but then a ripple tore through the air.
Icarus.
He appeared between them like lightning, his figure glowing faintly, divine symbols etched in the space around him.
"Aria, stop!" he shouted, eyes wide with panic.
But Aria didn't hear him. Her face was blank, her hands trembling, and the golden aura began to twist into something darker—less light, more flame.
{System: Overuse of Aura Detected. Memory loss in 5… 4… 3…}
She screamed.
Her head felt like it was tearing apart from the inside—memories crashing against each other, voices from past lives whispering secrets she couldn't bear to hold.
Icarus didn't hesitate.
He turned to Abigel, grabbed the edges of his dark aura, and yanked him backward with inhuman force. "Out of the way!"
Then he surged forward.
One strike.
A shimmer of divine force wrapped around his arm, and he slammed the flat of his palm into Aria's chest.
A shockwave burst outward. Aria's golden aura shattered like glass under the pressure. Her eyes rolled back, and her body crumpled into Icarus's arms.
The world quieted.
No more howling wind. No more clashing auras. Just snowflakes falling slowly again.
Aria's body twitched once before going still. Her lips parted, a soft moan of pain escaping as unconsciousness took her.
Icarus lowered her gently, his jaw clenched.
"She was seconds away from burning this place to ash," he whispered.
From above, Theodore finally stepped down from the shadows, eyes unreadable. "She needs control. Or she won't survive what's coming."
Abigel stood a few paces away, expression grim. "I done as you asked me your highness."
"GOOD," Theodore said, eyes still on Aria.
Abigel's eyes lingered on Aria's unconscious form, her lashes damp with sweat, face pale against the glow of fading twilight.
But his focus soon shifted—to Icarus.
That man. No… not even a man. A being above all others. A presence that even the emperor couldn't summon at will.
And yet… he always appeared the moment Aria was in danger.
Was it truly just childhood friendship?
Abigel clenched his jaw.
There was something deeper. Something unspoken between them. Something he couldn't name—but he felt it burn every time Icarus looked at her like that.
"I'll take her," Theodore's voice cut through the silence. He stepped forward, not asking but commanding, and held out his arms.
Without resistance, Icarus gently placed Aria into Theodore's hold—but his gaze never left hers.
"And don't meddle in this again, Icarus," Theodore said sharply, tightening his grip. "This is not your place."
Icarus's expression didn't change. If anything, his aura grew colder—his voice dropping like frost across steel.
"Anything related to Aria… is mine as well, Duke."
And in the next blink, he vanished.
Not even a flash. Just gone—like mist.
Theo's brow furrowed. How the hell did he even know Aria was here? There were no messengers. No signals.
He turned to Abigel, voice quiet but firm.
"Keep an eye on him."
Abigel nodded. "Yes, Your Grace."
The moon had already risen high by the time Aria stirred.
Her head throbbed. Her limbs felt heavy. But she wasn't in the training yard anymore. Soft velvet blankets wrapped around her. She was warm. Safe. A window was open, letting in the cool northern air scented with pine and snow.
As her eyes fluttered open—
{System Booting... Welcome back, Aria. GF}
The glowing text hovered in front of her, soft blue against the dark.
{Warning: Aura Overload. Short-term memory loss may possible.}
{Emotion sync unstable. GF}
She sat up slowly, wincing as a sharp pain sliced behind her eyes.
Her hands trembled in her lap. What had happened...?
Then—images.
Flashes.
Abigel's words.
The golden light.
And then…
Icarus. His voice calling her name. His arms around her.
Aria touched her chest, remembering the strange warmth from where he struck her. Not pain… more like a pull, a grounding force.
Was it him who saved her again?
A knock echoed at the door.
Before she could speak, it opened—and Theo stepped inside.
His gaze was unreadable, but his voice was steady. "You're awake."
"Barely," Aria muttered, rubbing her forehead.
He took a seat beside her, arms crossed. "You lost control."
She looked away, embarrassed. "I know."
There was silence for a moment before he said flatly, "Tomorrow, we start again."
Aria's eyes widened. "What?"
"Training. You're going to master that golden flame."